So I Tried… Subnautica

Each edition of So I Tried… sees a member of staff trying a game that they have never played before. Will I find something new to add to my list of favourite games? Or will I find something that isn’t worth talking about outside this article? Playing through a full half hour, no matter how infuriating it gets or how many times I fail, to see if this is the game for me. This time around, I tried the nautical survival-crafting game: Subnautica.

What I thought it was

I wasn’t too sure, initially, what Subnautica would be. I presumed it would be the sort of survival game in which I’d loot everything not nailed down to earn resources to upgrade my gear and weapons in order to fight off what lurks in the depths of an alien world.

What it actually is

Well, I wasn’t too far off the mark, but my original thoughts present a much more basic version of what Subnautica actually is. It is indeed a survival game where you’ll need to keep your hunger and thirst meters topped up (although there is a mode which disables these), but there’s practically no combat featured at all. Sure, you can take a swipe at some predators with your survival knife to keep them from turning you into their next meal, but it doesn’t feature any mechanics outside of simply swinging your weapon (which is actually mainly used for resource gathering) to keep them at bay.

In the 30 minutes I’ve played thus far, I’ve built an incredibly basic base consisting of one small room and a few tunnels leading away from it, where I plan to expand as I progress. This was a nice surprise, as I wasn’t expecting to be able to construct my own underwater safe haven using pre-made pieces that snap together nicely. This is where the crafting element comes into play, as you’ll need to forage for materials to expand your base, as well as acquire new gear, such as a higher capacity oxygen tank, allowing me to delve deeper into the murky depths to find more resources.

Will I keep playing

This is a very easy yes. Whilst I’ve never been a big fan of underwater sections in videogames, I can’t wait to explore further into the depths of the many unexplored biomes, craft a huge, self-powered base of operations, and obtain a horde of materials in which to upgrade absolutely everything. I want to see it all, build every possible base section, explore the wreckage of the Aurora, and hopefully find other survivors in this harsh, yet stunningly beautiful, world.